Snow Covered Ribbon
by xxgaaraloverxx
Summary: Sasuke has run off to the Sound. Christmastime sad fluff. A few bad words, not too much though.


**Snow Covered Ribbon**

Naruto entered the clearing, nothing but sheer determination guiding him. He was on a mission to bring back Sasuke, one of his only friends. One of the only people who understood him. He didn't know what he would do in Konoha without him. It's not like he liked him other than that, though; Naruto wanted only to be a friend.

He heard a slight rustle in the trees above him. Naruto jerked his head up, the only thing he could see were sunlight spots shining through the leaves, no well-hidden teammates. It was probably just the wind. His eyes darted back and forth, scanning the area for any signs that Sasuke had been through here. He seen a few broken twigs scattered around on the ground, some prints, but nothing else. Judging from the smell of the prints though, someone had just been through the clearing not too long ago.

Naruto took off, following the scent of the tracks. He stopped a little while later and wiped the sweat from his brow. Following temes in the middle of summer in a jacket wasn't exactly the brightest idea Naruto had ever thought up. He heard splashing, probably from a stream a few yards away. _No way Sasuke would make it this easy!_

Naruto crept to the edge of the trees, hoping to get some camouflage from them. He peered at the figure kneeling down beside the stream. Sasuke had indeed made it that easy. Sasuke had apparently stopped for a drink or to cool down, and had let his guard down momentarily. Silently, Naruto inched closer and closer until he was finally just two feet behind Sasuke's back. The green of the trees didn't do much to hide his bright orange, so when Sasuke turned around, he spotted Naruto immediately.

"Dobe, what the fuck!" Sasuke yelled as soon as he saw Naruto.

Sheepishly, Naruto came out of the forest, not replying to Sasuke's question. Sasuke didn't say anything else, just attacked.

The dobe had made it easy for him, for Sasuke was just ordered by Itachi and Orochimaru not long ago to kill this moron. His eyes turned red, fist clutched a shiriken as he jumped into the air, attack directed at Naruto. He wasted no time in drawing blood, for this was not a spar, like old times, this was an attempt to kill. He would never gain the _other_ Sharingan if he did not succeed in his mission.

Naruto drew in a violent breath. He was bleeding heavily, though Sasuke wasn't looking so hot either. They had been at it now for quite awhile, Sasuke mentioning his intent at the very start. Naruto, however, had no desire to murder his friend, turned enemy. Even though he didn't want to admit it, the fight was already won. Sasuke was fighting to kill while Naruto wasn't. There was no possible way he would survive.

Naruto looked away for just a second, but that was his final mistake. Sasuke brought his hand to Naruto's chest. Though he was fighting to the death, his heart wasn't in it. He deliberately ended the match in this way. He knew Kyuubi would be able to heal Naruto. That much was a given, so he gave no thought to Naruto, now lying on the ground. He just walked away, without a single glance backward.

* * *

Sasuke woke with a start. He hadn't dreamt about that day for so long. Pulling the covers away from his sweat-soaked body, Sasuke pushed himself off of the bed. He looked at himself in the mirror opposite from where he was sitting; wanting to break it with every second he stared. He turned his head, his eyes straying to the clouded window. At the very bottom, where the glass was clear, Sasuke thought he glanced a flash of orange.

'No it can't be." Sasuke stared out the window in disbelief.

Sasuke abruptly stood up, grabbing clothes and putting them on as fast as he could, he ran out of the room. At the door, he pulled the heavy cloak hanging form a peg tugging it on over his shoulders. He slipped on the boots in the shoe area also by the door. He pushed his way out, having difficulty with the frozen door.

Outside, he looked around. The only things he could see through the thick fog were his hands and breath. Sasuke turned, looking for the telltale signs of orange, but found nothing. He inwardly sighed. Living in the Sound Village had finally gotten to his head.

Sasuke trudged to his door though the snow, sighing once again in defeat. There was no over obnoxious blonde outside in the cold. There never would be. He grabbed the metal handle.

"Looking for me?"

Sasuke spun around. 'Great, now I'm hearing things too.'

"Up here. Teme."

Sasuke jerked his head up and squatting there on his roof, cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling, was his blonde haired dobe. Sasuke unintentionally smiled up at Naruto, ecstatic he was here.

The smile left his lips as soon as he came back to his surroundings. People do not just waltz into the Sound when they feel like it. Sasuke's eyes narrowed at this realization.

"Well, teme, are you ready to come home?"

Sasuke just stupidly stared up at Naruto. He couldn't figure out what was going on.

"I've come to take you back, and I'm not leaving unless you 're with me. I made Sakura a promise," Naruto said, with his usual stupid grin plastered onto his face.

Sasuke just stood there still, unable to say anything.

* * *

They had ended up leaving together, after a week of Naruto endlessly following Sasuke around. Missions, meetings, anywhere Sasuke had went Naruto was sure to be close by. Orochimaru had been dead for a while now, so no one really cared that Sasuke had left. In fact, most people, Kabuto at the head of the list, were glad he was leaving. He had been a fountain of trouble.

So now there they were, in the middle of November, not far away from Konoha, trapped in a cave. The blizzard had caught the two of them off guard, so neither one of them were prepared for it. Naruto and Sasuke had decided to just wait out the storm in a nearby cave they had found before.

Sasuke had built a fire, assuming it was safe since nobody was currently after them. Naruto had made use of this fire, setting up a stick above it and placing his jacket on it for it to dry out for the morning. Sasuke had followed suit, putting his cloak right by the bright orange _thing_. They both moved their belongings close too, along with themselves.

"So, Naruto, have you been looking for me all this time?" Sasuke asked after a period of long silence.

"No, I was training, trying to get stronger in case I ran into trouble," Naruto replied, after apparently thinking about this answer.

"Did you? Run into trouble, I mean?"

"No."

They sat in silence. No one moved, the only thing heard were the continued breaths of wind slipping into the cave. Naruto scooted closer to the fire, trying to warm himself up. Sasuke looked at him, and it was an obvious trick of the light, but it really looked like he could see right through the other boy. Sasuke looked again and decided his mind was playing tricks on him, for there was no possible way to see through Naruto.

Sasuke had also moved closer to the fire, trying to keep the chills from cooling him too much.

"Are you ready to sleep, Naruto?"

"Yeah, I guess."

They laid out their blankets, setting up their beds for the night. Naruto was the first to lie down. Sasuke followed suit, his head turned toward Naruto. He seen Naruto's side start to slow down in its movement, his breath deepening in sleep.

Sasuke just lay there, watching Naruto sleep for a long time. He didn't want this moment to end. He liked this warm feeling he got when he looked at him.

After slightly dozing off, Sasuke woke again when he heard whimpering coming from the lump on the other pallet that was Naruto. He got up and scooted his way to the other boy, gently shaking Naruto awake.

Naruto opened his eyes hesitantly, his gaze stilled glazed with sleep.

"You were apparently having a bad dream," Sasuke explained when Naruto looked up at him in confusion.

"Oh, I'm sorry for waking you," Naruto said.

"Don't worry about it, dobe." Naruto was staring into Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke glanced around, wanting eye contact, but not at the same time. It seemed no matter where he looked, he always ended up back at Naruto's eyes.

Naruto pulled Sasuke's head down to kiss him. Sasuke tried to protest, but Naruto just took the opportunity to slide his tongue into the dark-haired boy's mouth. Before too long, Naruto coaxed Sasuke's tongue to move in unison with his own.

Naruto pulled his mouth away just long enough to say one word.

"Please."

* * *

Naruto sat himself up.

"Sasuke, I'm going to give you something, promise me you'll never get rid of it?"

Sasuke looked on with confusion.

"Please, Sasuke? Promise me?"

"Fine, I promise you, Naruto. I'll keep whatever you give me," Sasuke stated.

Naruto stood up and went over to his jacket and pulled out two red things. When he came back to the place where Sasuke was laying down, Sasuke seen what Naruto was holding. He was holding two red, satin ribbons in his hand.

"What are those for?"

"I'm going to tie one ribbon on your wrist, and the other one, you'll tie on mine. as long as you don't take it off, I'll know that you haven't forgotten about me."

"Naruto, you dobe, why would I ever forget about you? Why would I want to?"

"Just, please, just don't take it off?" Naruto pleaded as he wrapped the ribbon on Sasuke's wrist.

"Yes, my dobe, I'll never take it off, I promised didn't I?"

* * *

Sasuke looked out of the mouth of the cave. When he woke up, Naruto was no longer by his side. The warmth that would have been there was also absent. He looked out into the snow. The faint tracks of Naruto's and his arrival last night were faintly visible. Sasuke looked again. There were only one set of tracks in the snow.

Sasuke fell to his knees. There were only one set of tracks, which meant Naruto was never actually there. What he left behind in the cave however, positively said he had indeed been there though. Naruto's jacket was still hung above the now smoldering fire, the ribbon still tied on Sasuke's wrist. Sasuke looked out into the snow one more time.

There were still only one set of footprints.

* * *

After a week of being held by the Hokage, Sasuke had finally been allowed out into the village again. Though unlike when he lived there first, the villagers didn't welcome him with open arms. Instead, they gave him woeful glances, quick words or comments, the worst had been Sakura.

Sakura wouldn't speak to him, even give him a second glance, at another time, Sasuke would have been glad of this, but not now. He wanted to know what was going on, why the villagers were treating him so. He caught up to her one day, when she was walking home.

"Sakura, wait up, please?" Sasuke called when he seen her. She kept on walking, acting like she had never heard him.

"Sakura!"

"What do you want, you hateful teme?" Sakura finally demanded when Sasuke pulled on her shoulder.

"What is with you? What is with everyone?"

Sakura just stared him down.

"Where is Naruto too?"

Sakura's eyes widened in disbelief.

"You're the one who kills him and you don't even know!" Sakura yelled when she came back to her senses.

"K...killed? What the hell are you talking about? I just seen him two weeks ago and he didn't even... wait, he didn't look any different from when I last saw him..."

"Two weeks ago?" Sakura was shouting again. "What do you mean two weeks? You killed Naruto THREE years ago, when you left."

"Three years... that was when..."

"Yes," Sakura cut him off, "When Naruto went after you, he never came back." With every word of that statement, Sakura's voice became smaller and smaller, tears were now freely flowing from her green eyes. "He went to get you for me, but he never came back!" Sakura pulled her shoulder from Sauke's grasp and ran the rest of the way home.

* * *

It was Christmas, Sasuke's least favorite time of the year. The only thing he did around this time was go to Naruto's grave to pay his respects. He did nothing else for days. No missons, no contact with humans... nothing. Today, on the way home however, Sasuke noticed somethiong strange.

Today Sasuke had seen a little boy he had never seen before. The little boy had something strange on his wrist, a thing that would have little meaning to a boy so young. This little boy had a red, satin ribbon tied around his tiny wrist. The fact that he had blonde hair, gorgeous blue eyes and wore bright orange snow boots came as no suprise to Sasuke, however.


End file.
